a) Field of the Invention
The present application relates to a method for retrieving a boat out of the water, and launching of a boat into the water, or both launching and retrieving the boat, as well as transporting the boat over a ground surface.
b) Background Art
Smaller boats are commonly carried on boat trailers and are placed into the water or taken back out of the water generally by first finding a boat launching site where there is a slanting support surface (generally graveled or asphalt) which slopes downwardly into the body of water. The trailer is backed downwardly down the boat ramp to a depth where the boat is able to float. Then the boat is disconnected and moved away from the trailer, with the trailer then being pulled back out of the water. However, while this procedure is used quite commonly for smaller boats, for a variety of reasons it is used less frequently (if at all) for larger boats.
In a marina, boats of various sizes are taken out of the water for services, repair and/or storage, and at a later time are placed back into the water. A typical marina faces various challenges in having an efficient and cost effective operation. For example, the real-estate for a marina is generally at a premium, and thus the real-estate in storing the boats must be used efficiently. Further, the moving the boats into and out of the water, and into and out of storage spaces should be desirably be accomplished in the minimum amount of time. Also, there is the problem of what might be termed “traffic congestion” in moving a number of boats effectively.
Also, in recent years there has been increasing use of dry rack storage where boats can be positioned in a storage location where one boat can be located above or below the other, and forklifts and other devices are used to accomplish storage of boats and the removal of boats from the storage racks.
It's not surprising that the larger boats present challenges well beyond those that are faced with handling the smaller boats. To the best knowledge of the inventor herein, in most marinas the larger boats are usually launched into the water or taken out of the water by means of a lifting device (e.g., a hoist). Straps or other devices are placed around the boat hull, and these are engaged by the hoist to move the boat into or out of the water. With a relatively large boat (as long as forty or fifty feet), a rather large hoist is required. Again, to the best knowledge of the Applicant, it has not been practical to use the boat trailer for such large boats. Also, if trailers of sufficient size are used for the larger boats, there is the consideration of the mobility (i.e., the ability to effectively move such a large boat within the confines of a sometimes crowded marina boat storage area).
Also, there are sometimes limitations in the ability to store boats because of the possibility of causing damage to the boat. For example, if there is a yacht with a downwardly extending fin, this can result in complications in storing it out of the water, and/or also in lifting it. Further, if the contact with the boat hull (e.g., a wood hull), this could be more susceptible to damage.
A search of the U.S. patent literature has revealed a number of patents relating to the launching and retrieval of boats into and from a body of water, and also moving them over a land surface, and these are the following.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,823 (MacEachern), shows a trailer made up of two support structures, namely a rear support structure 18 made up of parallel beams, and a forward structure 20, these being rigidly connected to one another. At the forward end of the structure 20, there is a connection to what is called “a self-propelled tug 14”. The tug has forward steering wheels 64 which are stated to operate as a conventional steering mechanism, and at the rear of the tug 14 there is a universal connection which is controlled by hydraulic cylinders. Thus, this universal joint can rotate about all three axes. Also, the rear wheels 24 of the trailer are mounted so that these can be raised or lowered individually or together.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,742 (Gearhart), shows an articulated roll-off trailer that is provided with a hinge so that it may bend in the middle, in an upward direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,713 (Kovach), shows a boat trailer that has an upper boat carrying a section 18, and a lower wheeled frame 19, that are pivoted in the tongue area. The boat carrying section remains level at the water's surface as the wheeled section follows the contours of the bank, or launching ramp.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,153 (Wilson), shows a trailer that is pivoted for easier loading. It may be backed along a bank or launching ramp, and tilted so the boat or other cargo slides or rolls off.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,185 (Waley), shows a boat trailer in which the wheel carrying frame is pivoted on the frame section on which the boat is mounted on. The wheel section follows the contours of the bank or the launch ramp, while the boat carrying part floats and is well oriented to load the boat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,367 (Cox), shows a boat trailer with pivoted boat supporting elements that accommodate the contour of the boat bottom.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,677 (Moss) provides a boat trailer with wheels that can be adjusted relative to the trailer frame to accommodate the loading and unloading, on various bottom contours.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,754 (Park), shows a boat trailer in which the hitch and wheels are on a frame and a sub frame is pivoted at one end and supporting the boat at the other end. The sub frame supports the boat's stern and aligns it as it floats on or off the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,512,667 (Calkins), shows a boat trailer on which the boat support pivots and aligns with the boat as it is moved in or out of the water, while the wheeled sections are on a tilted bottom.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,249 (Johnson), shows a trailer that is provided with pivoting hull support elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,465,533 (Payne), discloses a “cargo transport apparatus using air cushion support”. There is a blanket 18 which is connected to (and extends between) two side members 10 and 12 and on which the boat is positioned. Also, there is a rear frame member 14 and a front closure member. The blanket is able to be inflated in the region surrounding the boat so that the blanket can lift the boat upwardly at a location between the two sidewalls 10 and 12.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,190 (Cavanaugh), discloses an “air cushion dry dock transport system”. There is a dry dock structure mounted on an air cushion platform to portage a ship overland. The system raises the ship from one body of water, hauls it across different surfaces and launches it into another body of water.